What They Said: Indonesia-Australia Spying Spat

The Indonesian Ambassador to Australia, Nadjib Riphat Kesoema, at the airport in Canberra, Australia, on Nov. 19. Kesoema has been recalled to Indonesia amid allegations that Australia tapped the phones of the Indonesian president and other top officials.

JAKARTA, Indonesia–The rift in relations between Indonesia and Australia deepened further this week, with Jakarta recalling its ambassador in Canberra following media reports that Australian spy agencies had tried to tap mobile phones belonging to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and several top cabinet members.

The move comes after weeks of debate over how both countries should deal with asylum seekers who transit through Indonesia on their way to Australia. The topic has been a key issue this year, and has led to several tense exchanges between the two neighbors. The latest spat, however, has raised concerns that it could damage progress on a new bilateral trade pact and other strategic security and defense cooperation agreements.

Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan told the Wall Street Journal Tuesday that the possibility of pulling out of the bilateral trade negotiations “is not out of the equation given the latest development.”

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Here’s a roundup of other reactions:

On Tuesday, President Yudhoyono sent out several Tweets showing his displeasure.

I also regret the statement of Australian Prime Minister that belittled this tapping matter on Indonesia, without any remorse. *SBY*

Newspaper editorials reported that the alleged act of spying “has gone too far”, with the headline story in Kompas, one of the country’s largest papers, quoting senior lawmaker Mahfudz Siddiq, who said, “Australia is not a good neighbor.”

Mr. Siddiq, the chairman of the commission that oversees foreign affairs, also took to Twitter to air his opinion on the spying allegations.

#tapping What do you think if our close neighbor turns out to be secretly spying on and peeking at us. President SBY should directly address this matter.

Elsewhere, Meidyatama Suryodiningrat, editor-in-chief of the English-language daily, the Jakarta Post, wrote in a page 2 commentary that the last revelation could worsen bilateral ties, “which have been on a downward trend for the past week:

“The first issue was with the boat-people,” Mr. Suryodiningrat wrote, referring to asylum seekers. “And now we learn that there was an attempt to intercept President Yudhoyono’s phone calls and monitoring of top officials’ calls, including those of the First Lady. Now it’s personal!”

“In the same way that Indonesia can be friends but not allies with the US, Indonesia is finding it can be neighbors with Australia but increasingly difficult to be friends.”

Another editorial, in the Jakarta Globe newspaper, called on Australia to apologize.

“We all know that spying is an old art and has been conducted for centuries. But there are limits to the extent ‘friendly’ countries can go when it comes to eavesdropping. In tapping President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s and the first lady’s personal phones, Australia has crossed the line” the Globe said.

“Pretending that nothing has happened will not help heal the wounds.”

From down south, in Canberra, the Lowy Institute, a public policy think tank tweeted:

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